Welcome to the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America.

You may have joined Seattle DSA because you saw members in the community or because injustice in our society. Perhaps you want a more just world with a democratically run economy, where no one should be poor for another to be rich? Or one where the environment is respected and resources are shared?

We believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.

We are also a political and activist organization, not a party. We use a variety of tactics, from direct action to education to labor and tenant organizing, to help working people make a better society where they live and meet their needs. Unlike many organizations, we embrace small, self-directed groups interested around a topic or geographic area that work together.

Table of Contents

Our Platform

Everyone should be able to live a full and dignified life. Yet wealth – the means to do so – cannot be justly gained from another’s suffering. We recognize that modern capitalism is a holistic system which inherently creates inequalities, dismantles and destroys communities, isolates individuals and precludes the fulfillment of dreams for millions. As Dr. King said, “Capitalism has outlived its usefulness.”

We demand a society where all participate as equals and are respected for their worth as human beings. A society where, through democratic processes, a full life for all may be achieved. With this maxim in mind and in solidarity with Democratic Socialists of America nationally and like-minded anti-capitalists everywhere, we fight for the following demands:

The economy must be run democratically; none shall be poor so another can be rich.

As it stands, the overwhelming majority of people have little power over the nature of their work or their compensation for it. We demand that people have control over how they work, when they work and how their labor is applied.

The abolition of poverty.

Both in the United States and globally, the world is more productive than it has ever been. Yet millions upon millions remain mired in poverty. Coerced by necessity into destructive arrangements at work and at home, they lack adequate access to the necessities of human life. Increased productivity can eliminate poverty and satisfy everyone’s material needs. We demand a system that can achieve this.

An end to racial, gender and all other forms of oppression.

Whether it be on the basis of race, gender, religion, orientation or disability, we must fight alongside those who face violence and exploitation. We recognize that the exploitation in our society is as intersectional as its members and our struggle must therefore be intersectional as well.

Affordable, humane housing for all.

A home is not a commodity; it is a human right. We demand that everyone has access to housing that meets their needs and neighborhoods that foster vibrant communities.

An end to punitive justice and mass incarceration.

We demand an end to prisons as a weapon of domination, an end to the Drug War, an end to broken families and an end to our barbaric treatment of inmates. We cannot confront these issues unless we recognize the systemic racism at their very core. We fight for a justice system that prioritizes rehabilitation over punishment.

Universal Medicare-for-all.

No one should risk financial ruin when they consider going to the doctor. Everyone must have access to quality government-financed medical care throughout their lives. This is most immediately achievable through a single-payer system.

Free education: from pre-K to trades, college and beyond.

We reject wealth as a criterion for receiving quality education at any level. We must not only guarantee access to higher education but must also ensure students are provided with the tools to take advantage of that guarantee.

An end to military and police aggression.

Both at home and abroad, violent force is used as tool of racist oppression and capitalist exploitation. As our imperial domination extends on foreign soil, so too does brutal, murderous repression grow in our own communities. We demand an end to American imperialism and police militarization.

Complete reproductive freedom in all forms.

Everyone should have the support and tools to decide if and when to have children. We must ensure access to birth control and safe, legal abortion and all forms of family planning. We must provide material support to ensure every child is raised free from discrimination, violence and oppression.

Democracy in the workplace; all workers have the right to organize.

We see the primary means to improve everyday life through democratic control, manifested in a socialist system. We must resist dismantling of workers’ rights to organize and instead bolster them by supporting unions in the fight for living wages, equal pay and safe workplaces. We demand an economic system in which workers control their labor.

Democratic control over the environment to preserve the planet.

If left unchecked, capitalism will destroy our planet and those least responsible will suffer the greatest consequences. We must ensure everyone has access to clean and affordable food and water. We demand environmental justice for the living and responsible stewardship in the name of those yet to be born.

Total freedom to migrate; humanity has no borders

We reject a global system that facilitates the movement of capital across borders but denies human beings the freedom to live with dignity in the communities of their choice. We demand full and equal rights for all regardless of citizenship, an end to all forms of immigrant detention and imprisonment, and a humane, publicly funded immigration system that actively supports people who choose to move to the United States.

Organization Structure

Seattle DSA is built from the ground up, not the top down. What this means is that people join other organizers around a particular topic or from a specific geographic area. Unsure where to start? Here’s an overview of the organization’s structure:

Working Groups

Committees created by the membership around a specific topic. Each working group formed by the members with support from the local council has two co-chairs that serve as non-voting additions to the Local Council. They provide counsel by relaying what rank-and-file members need to succeed in their organizing efforts.

Caucus

Free standing group around a political identity or ideology. Examples include the libertarian socialist caucus, Queer and Feminist Caucus, Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color (AFROSOC) Caucus.

Local Council

Unlike many organizations, the local council aims to neither govern nor dominate. Rather, they facilitate the organizing being done in working groups, caucuses, and the chapter’s committees. The local council is like a skeleton upon which the muscle of other groups function.

There are thirteen, democratically elected members of the local council: (2) co-chairs, (1) vice-chair, (1) secretary, (1) treasurer, (2) at-large council members, (3) internal organizers, and (3) external organizers.

Committees

There are two standing committees with voting on the Local Council:

Internal Organizing

Includes new member development, education, mobilization, and recruitment) and external organizing

External Organizing

Includes support of unions, working groups doing activism in the community, and electoral work.

Where to Start?

As a dues-paying DSA member, you are considered an Official Socialist Organizer. An organizer is a person who does the work to get people together – for education, for rallies, for movement. An organizer works to build power. Want healthcare guaranteed to everyone within the United States? Join Medicare for All working group. Want better working conditions and pay for your coworkers? Join the Workplace Organizing Collective.

Every Socialist Organizer needs a foundation in organizing, anti-capitalism, and good discussion. Here are the easiest ways to get involved:

Calendar

Seattle DSA maintains a centralized calendar, populated by members with both DSA-hosted events as well actions in the community. Visit SeattleDSA.org/events

New member oriented events are listed below:

Intro to Democratic Socialism

Gain a foundation in democratic socialism. Learn how capitalists use profit are used to keep workers from means of production – and what that means as we organize.

Workplace Organizing Collective

Get a primer in how workplace organizing happens, whether you’re in a union or not.

General Meetings

Once a month, Seattle DSA hosts a meeting for the general membership. Working groups present and discuss their work, announcements are made, and there’s a business meeting every three months where you vote on the direction of the chapter.

Slack

Slack is a chat program used by Seattle DSA to help organize when not at events. To get access to Slack, email your membership confirmation email from Maria Svart (titled “Thanks for being a DSAer!”) to [email protected]

Working Groups

Accessibility

Making Seattle DSA accessible for all.Slack: #wg_accessibility

Communications

Hub for all the external and internal communications: email, social media, press outreach, spokesperson training, dispatches, and The Hellhole alt-weekly newsletter are all ongoing activities of the group.Slack: #wg_communications

Tech

Seattledsa.org and projects for actions using technology to advance the cause of a truly democratic, socialist society.Slack: #wg_tech

From workplace collectives, union organizing, to the Union Council.Slack: #eo_labor

Medicare for All

National campaign to organize for a Medicare for All system to replace health insurance.Slack: #eo_medicare_for_all

Caucuses

Ecosocialist

Seeks to develop and implement socialist solutions to current ecological crises, particularly issues relevant to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. We strive to build an integrated grassroots movement for ecosocialism both within SDSA and throughout the broader community.Slack: #c_ecosocialism

Queer and Feminist

As socialists, we are committed to building a world where everyone can live a full and dignified life. As feminists, we believe the liberation of women, non-cis men and LGBTQIA+ people is directly tied to human liberation from exploitation. The rigid hierarchies patriarchy has erected still affect all aspects of society, but they are most strongly associated with sex and gender roles. We believe complete liberation from capitalist exploitation and oppression cannot happen without the abolition of patriarchy.Slack: #c_queer_and_feminist

Religion & Socialism

Explores the ways in which our religious or spiritual beliefs – to whatever extent that we have them – intersect with our socialist politics, and where we can seek to translate those beliefs into concrete socialist action.Slack: #c_religion

Advocates for and builds power with Seattle DSA’s PoC membership and their communities. We pursue this work to help build a multiracial & multicultural working-class base, the only viable strategy for securing a socialist future.Slack: #c_poc

Libertarian Socialist

Aims to create a world free from coercion and domination of all kinds, whether it be bosses over workers, states over subjects, men via the patriarchy, or whites over people of color. We seek to expand the leftist imagination beyond centralized, state-based implementations and to advocate for directly democratic, worker owned and controlled institutions such as cooperatives, radical trade unions, neighborhood councils, popular assemblies, community land trusts, and credit unions. Slack: #c_lib_soc

Glossary

Bourgeoisie

The class of people in capitalist society who own the social means of production as their Private Property, i.e., as capital.

Bread & Roses

Political slogan originating from a speech given by labor activist by Rose Schneiderman “The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.” Essentially, the idea that the people are entitled to not just their basic needs, but a sense of human dignity within society.

Capital

Anything that can enhance one’s power to perform economically useful work. (in our society: U.S. dollars)

Capitalism

An economic system in which the capital and means of production are controlled by private entities or individuals

Class

A group of people sharing common relation to labor and the means of production.

Democracy

A system of governance by the majority.

Labor

Human activity that provides goods and services in an economy.

Marxism

A social & economic analysis of class relations and conflict throughout history.

Means of Production

The equipment and resources needed to create a product or service.

Praxis

Putting ideas into practice aka practical application of social & political theory.

Socialism

An economic system in which the economy is democratically controlled.

Solidarity

Giving support to a stranger on their own terms. This is different from community because it is extended to strangers and different from philanthropy because it is given on the stranger’s own terms, not that of the giver.